A man who stumbles blindly into a canyon fears it may devour him … a grief-stricken young woman seeks help for a dark secret that is gradually destroying her mind … a missionary stumbles haphazardly into a deserted village and learns of the ghastly secret that annihilated its population … a successful businessman begins to suspect that a madman’s delusions are the reason for his fairy-tale like existence … a man seeking counsel about a disturbing, recurring dream finds the truth more frightening than the dream itself … a married woman is forced to confront a dark secret about the man she had an affair with years earlier when he mysteriously turns up on her doorstep in the dead of night … a man awakens in a strange environment to find he is on trial for horrific crimes of which he possesses no memory ever having committed … a former punk-rock star believes her long-deceased twin sister is calling to her from beyond the grave to rescue her from abandonment in darkness for unexpiated sin … these are the elements of suspense, terror, and emotional abandon that make UNDER THE PALE MOON GLOWand other tales an exhilarating, suspense-filled roller-coaster ride. From an uncharted island in the Pacific to a mass grave in Haiti to the Floridian Gulf Coast to the rain forest of India to the Katrina-ravaged streets of New Orleans, these stories are guaranteed to haunt you long after you have turned the last page.

Shawn J. Higgins is a free-lance writer who lives in San Diego. He has been writing professionally for over 30 years, and is currently at work on a novel due out shortly.

After finishing proofs, I’m hoping to download my collection of short stories entitled “UNDER THE PALE MOON GLOW”and other tales to Amazon’s Kindle. The book is a collection of short stories written over the last several years and finished and compiled in 2012.

“UNDER THE PALE MOON GLOW”

and other tales by Shawn J. Higgins

“FOREVER YOU WILL BE MINE”

A first-person “flash fiction” story of a man with a ghostly secret lover.

THE DEVIL’S TRUMPET

A first-person account of an archaeological expedition, and the mysterious discovery it yielded.

THE SAPAAT SWARM

A writer listens to a friend relate the story of a swarm of ants which descend upon a small Indian community with a terrifying method of attack.

COLD CANYON

A man takes a perilous shortcut through a canyon to save time getting to work and nearly dies. However, what the experience subsequently does to his mind appears to be worse.

THE PARIS STORY

A successful young writer, returning to fulfill a promise made to his married lover years earlier, learns the hard way that she finds her present life more fulfilling. Meanwhile, she perceives a tragic secret about him that is far more distressing to her than having to force this reality on him.

“Look OUT!”

Kidnapped by a gang of clumsy goons, a hopeless nerd named Sergio “Serge” Marinara gains a long sought-after fame in a most unexpected way. The combination of an energy drink and a forced dose of amyl nitrate causes a mental surge that enables him to calculate numbers so advanced his captors believe he has divine powers.

CONUNDRUMS

A man troubled by a recurring nightmare enters psychotherapy to learn its significance, and finds himself more troubled by the revelation of the truth about it than the dream itself.

LOST UNBORN

While a religious organization blames a civil liberties group for thefts of Christmas decorations on public property, an intern pastor who is counseling a troubled young woman confronting a terrible truth from her past learns the awful secret of who is truly responsible, and why.

THE FINAL VERDICT

A man who awakens in a strange new environment gradually comes to the terrifying awareness that he is on trial for horrific crimes of which he possesses no memory.

SPLIT MIND

A successful Silicon Valley businessman must repeatedly confront his psychotic twin brother to prevent the continued disruption of his orderly life. The only hindrance is a growing awareness that his deranged brother’s delusions are the reason for his success.

UNDER THE PALE MOON GLOW

The tragic death of burgeoning punk rock star Merry Hymn on the evening her band delivers a stand-out performance continues to haunt her surviving twin sister (and fellow band member) Penny Doll 30 years later. Penny sees the man she believed murdered Merry at her sister’s grave, and informs her astonished ex-husband and former band guitarist Jonny Dunghill that “he hasn’t aged a day, even 30 years later.” Jonny, concerned for the mental well-being of his ex-wife, is stunned to learn that Penny has horrific images that “Merry is still alive, held prisoner in a “spiritual holding chamber” controlled by Vinny, the vampire-like wraith she believes murdered her sister. The possibility that her grief is driving her insane is far less terrifying to Penny and Jonny both than the possibility that her mystical perceptions may actually be true.